Gobble Gobble

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for all your prayers! This past Wednesday we went to Dallas for a scan and a check up with Dr. Mickey. We were there most importantly to see what the tumor is doing, and also to come up with a plan for getting Brian’s skull piece back in place.

We got GREAT news….. the tumor is still stable and showing NO signs of growth!! Dr. Mickey feels sure that the tumor is a slow growing tumor and was very pleased with the MRI. We will continue to go back every three months for an scan to keep a very close watch on the remaining tumor. As for the plate…. well, Dr. Mickey does NOT want to go back into fix it right now. He is hoping that it might slide back into place over the next few months with some help from continuious pressure from a cap or band. If it is still not in place when we go back in March, then we will consider other options.

Our trips to Dallas are always fill with such anxiety; though I really could not even imagine how much worse it would be without your prayers and God's comfort throughout the day! We are so very thankful for the people that God has placed in our lives that continue to shower us in prayers and for the doctors that have taken such good care of Brian! Thanks again for all your support and prayers!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! Here are a few pictures from ours.....

Thanks and Love,

shea

IT'S TIME FOR THIS STEPPER TO STEP

Walk day for the annual Brain Tumor walk is upon us. We will be traveling to Dallas tomorrow afternoon to get ready for the event. If you haven’t registered yet and would like to join us IT’S NOT TO LATE! Just go to www.braintumorcommunity.org/goto/brianlair
to register. The walk is in Ft. Worth starting at 9:30 am on Saturday.

We’re still looking for donations to this great cause that has affected mine and many others lives so greatly. We had some T-shirts made up for all the members of the team. Check them out.

While I’m at the event I will hopefully have a chance to meet with Dr. Mickey for a “FREE” consultation.

As far as how I’m doing…… I have my ok days and my BAD days. Everything considered; I’m doing GREAT. Thanks again for all the prayers and support you have shown me and my family over the past 15 months.

God Bless,
Brian Lair

Get R Done

Life is good in Amarillo! I am thrilled to report that this recovery has been by far the easiest of the five! On my last trip to Dallas, they removed all 67 of my staples and told me they did not need to see me for another two months. So, on December 2nd I will go back for a scan and several appointments. Each day I find that I am gaining more and more strength. I am so anxious to be back to 100%.

Over the past month I have been to Detroit for a GM meeting and Oklahoma City to the drag races. Although it is great to get away, it is always better to come home! Shea and I just got home from a “Larry the Cable Guy” show. We had a great time and even got to meet him. Very entertaining guy…

Next weekend we will be going to Dallas to participate in the Brain Tumor walk. We would love to have you as a part of our team. Thanks so much to everyone who has joined or donated to my Team! Every dollar is a step closer to a cure! Check out our team page.

I can’t thank everyone enough for all your prayers and support throughout the past 15 months. I am blessed!

God Bless,
Brian

Home Sweet Home...again

I have been out of the hospital for a week and it feels so good to be home! I didn’t realize how I had missed my own bed. I have recuperated well, but for some reason, the recovery has been more painful the 5th time around. I am thinking that the added pressure from replacing the skull must be the reason. Unfortunately I can still feel where the skull piece is off, so I get to look forward to having Dr. Mickey “massage” it into place when I am good and healed. Since being home, I have been able to rest and let my incision heal. The past few days I have gone to the office for a few hours despite an 18 inch incision going across my head. So far I have not scared any customers away. I have been off of chemo for two months now and I am starting to feel like I am getting my strength and stamina back. I look forward to being able to spend an entire day at the office and not be sick or need a nap. I left the hospital with 67 staples in my head and I will go back to Dallas tomorrow to have them removed. Hopefully everything will go well and I will be further down the road to recovery! As I look back over the past few weeks and even the past year, I am constantly amazed by how faithful God is! He has been with me each step of the way! I have been BLESSED!!! Thanks for all the prayers and support! Please pray that all goes well in Dallas tomorrow!

God Bless
brian

DR. Mickey.... THE BOSS

My Favorite Visitor!

It just cant be simple!

Well it has been a roller coaster since I last updated. After surgery Brian was doing great and resting well. The swelling was much less than the previous surgeries. That all changed on Wednesday..... Brian woke up and was much more swollen. He could hardly open his eyes. Around 7:00 p.m. he had a seizure, but was able to communicate throughout the entire seizure. This led to a series of several seizures over the next few hours. He was immediately taken down to have an MRI. During the MRI Brian had another seizure that resulted in him not being able to finish the scan. The doctors put him in ICU to monitor him over night. He had a couple of seizure in ICU so they have upped his seizure medication. This has seemed to do the trick! On Thursday evening he returned back to the fifth floor and to a regular room. Since then he has been doing great! His swelling has gone down so much and he is feeling good! Dr. Mickey and Dr. Maher have both looked at his scans and said they look GREAT! We are so thankful for no new growth! From the scans it looks like the plate has shifted a bit, but we will know more when all the swelling has gone down. Mr. Mickey said he thinks he can use some "Mickey Massage Therapy" and guild it back into place! Yikes... we will cross that bridge later on! For now we are just so thankful for how well Brian is recovering! God is so GREAT!! Please continue to pray for NO infection and a speedy recovery! Although we LOVE Zale...we are ready to be home!!

thanks and love,

shea

Back in room 507....

Well today marked the 5th and hopefully last surgery for Brian. The surgery was scheduled to start at 11:30 this morning and Brian had to be at the hospital at 9:30. They were very prompt in getting him checked in and back into the pre-op waiting room. That is where the promptness ended! We ended up sitting in a TINY room form 9:30 until 1:30. During this time we had to take turn going back to see him and sit with him. As the minutes turned into hours Brian's nerves began to get to him. Finally they gave him medicine to calm and relax him before going in. Around 1:30 they finally came to take him into the OR.

Waiting for the fun to begin..

Marsha, Greg, the Ferguson's, my parent, and I all waited patiently in the waiting room. At 4:00 Dr. Mickey came out to tell us that Brian had done great! The surgery had gone very well. They replaced his missing skull and it was a perfect fit. Brian later let us know that it was a good thing that it was a "perfect fit" because they were not going back in to adjust it! He had to stay in the recovery room for an hour and then it was time to return to the 5th floor.

All done!

Room 507 seems to have become Brian's second home over the bast year! It is the "suite" of hospital rooms. It is double the size of a normal room, has hard wood floors, and even a mini-fridge. The nurses were all excited to see him and had his room ready and waiting. He is doing very well. We were amazed by how GREAT his head looks already! As expected, he has an extreme about of pain, but the nurses are working hard to keep it under control! This evening Jeff stopped by to check on him. Brian enjoyed talking and it took his mind off the pain for awhile. After our parents went back to the hotel, we walked a few laps around the 5th floor. He is AMAZING!!! The walking wore him out and now he is resting! Thank you so much for all the prayers and support! Brian is so blessed to have such a strong support group through his friends and family! Please keep praying that the next few days will be a smooth recovery!

Up and Walking

thanks and love,

shea

We Can All Make a Difference!

I want to start by thanking everyone who has signed up for the Brain Tumor walk in Dallas on November 7th. Our team has already raised over $600. I look forward to meeting up with family and friends to benefit such a awesome cause that is close to all of our hearts. The reality that the money we are raising could help find a cure for brain cancer is over whelming! The more money that is raised, the closer to a cure they are! I cant wait until the day they find it and I am cured! We would love to have each of you on our team!

On September 22nd I will be going back to Zale Lipshy hospital for my 5th surgery. Dr. Mickey will be going back in to replace my missing piece of skull. I am very anxious for the surgery and ready to start living my life without fear. Please keep me in your prayers as my surgery gets closer. I will post an update with the exact time of my surgery later in the week. Thanks for all your prayers and support throughout this journey. I am constantly reminded of how blessed I am to have such a strong support system.

God Bless,
Brian